By Ben Flemming

Associate Editor – TWIF

Ohio State heads to Indiana today and will play its first true road game of the young season.

However, Coach Jim Tressel said it might be more like home away from home for the Buckeyes.

“I just tell our guys, all that red is for you,” Tressel said during his Tuesday press conference. “I don’t know who’s who in that stadium.”

And as OSU invades Memorial Stadium, the Silver Bullet defense will look for a third consecutive shutout. Back-to-back donuts, over Toledo and Illinois, is something the vaunted Buckeye defense has not pulled off since the 1996 season.

After losing team co-captain and standout safety Kurt Coleman to suspension due to a helmet-to-helmet hit late in the Illinois game last week, the Buckeye secondary will obviously need to find somebody to pick up the slack.

Back-up safety Anderson Russell and nickel back Jermale Hines will most likely handle most of the load, while redshirt freshman Orhian Johnson might get some snaps as well.

Indiana, on the other hand, is following up a hard-fought 36-33 loss at Michigan.

Freshman Hoosier running back Darius Willis, meanwhile, is coming off a 152-yard, two touchdown rushing performance, but it is rather doubtful he will have that kind of success against the strong OSU defensive line.

Fifth-year senior OSU defensive lineman Doug Worthington is fresh off a team defensive player of the week performance against Illinois, and nose tackle Dexter Larimore, an Indiana native, will be ready to put on a show in front of his family and friends.

“Being able to work with all our strengths is helping this team,” Larimore said in regard to how much this OSU defense is preparing, with a healthy group to boot, week in and week out.

Adding to those strengths are junior defensive linemen Cameron Heyward and Thaddeus Gibson. And for sure, with Heyward, Gibson, Larimore and Co. up front, IU quarterback Ben Chappell will be facing relentless pressure all game long.

And if Chappell is to actually fire a pass or two off, cornerback Chimdi Chekwa will be there, likely blanketing Hoosier sophomore wide out Tandon Doss, who posted a 100 receiving yard effort against Michigan last week.

The Buckeyes set up base in Indianapolis Friday evening, thus having about an hour commute to Bloomington prior to tonight’s game.

And while Coleman will certainly be missed, this Buckeye defense will without question come to play. Additionally, quarterback Terrelle Pryor and running back Brandon Saine along with the rest of the OSU offense should have no problem moving the ball, and the Buckeyes will maintain their place in the Top 10 after Week Five.